Augmented reality speech balloon system

PRIORITY

0001This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority, of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/014,193, filed on Jun. 21, 2018, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/437,018, filed on Feb. 20, 2017, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

0002Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to mobile computing technology and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to the presentation of augmented and virtual reality displays.

BACKGROUND

0003Augmented reality (AR) is a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are supplemented, or “augmented,” by a computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics, or the like. As a result, the technology functions to enhance a user's perception of reality.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

0004To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced.

0005<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> is a block diagram showing an example messaging system for exchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content) over a network in accordance with some embodiments, wherein the messaging system includes an augmented reality system.

0006<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> is block diagram illustrating further details regarding a messaging system, according to example embodiments.

0007<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> is a schematic diagram illustrating data which may be stored in the database of the messaging server system, according to certain example embodiments.

0008<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a message, according to some embodiments, generated by a messaging client application for communication.

0009<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> is a schematic diagram illustrating an example access-limiting process, in terms of which access to content (e.g., an ephemeral message, and associated multimedia payload of data) or a content collection (e.g., an ephemeral message story) may be time-limited (e.g., made ephemeral) in accordance with some embodiments.

0010<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> is a block diagram illustrating various modules of an augmented reality system, according to certain example embodiments.

0011<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref> is a flowchart illustrating various operations of the augmented reality system in generating and causing display of a speech bubble in a graphical user interface (GUI), according to certain example embodiments.

0012<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref> is a diagram illustrating various operations of the augmented reality system in generating the speech bubble based on an emotional effect, according to certain example embodiments.

0013<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref> is a flowchart illustrating various operations of the augmented reality system in causing display of a graphical element based on an onomatopoeia, according to certain example embodiments.

0014<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref> is an example of an augmented reality speech bubble, according to certain example embodiments.

0015<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 11</figref> is an example of an augmented reality speech bubble, according to certain example embodiments.

0016<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 12</figref> is an example of an augmented reality speech bubble, according to certain example embodiments.

0017<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 13</figref> is a diagram illustrating various augmented reality speech bubbles, according to certain example embodiments.

0018<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 14</figref> is a block diagram illustrating a representative software architecture, which may be used in conjunction with various hardware architectures herein described and used to implement various embodiments.

0019<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 15</figref> is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine, according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

0020Reference will now be made in detail to specific example embodiments for carrying out the inventive subject matter of the present disclosure. In the following description, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter. It shall be appreciated that embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details.

0021Disclosed is an augmented reality system to generate and cause display of an augmented reality interface at a client device. Various embodiments may detect speech, identify a source of the speech, transcribe the speech to a text string, generate a speech bubble based on properties of the speech and that includes a presentation of the text string, and cause display of the speech bubble at a location in the augmented reality interface based on the source of the speech.

0022Some embodiment augmented reality systems may include a video and image capture system to perform operations that include recording and acquiring images of a space, a graphical interface configured to display a presentation of the space, and a microphone to receive sound. In some example embodiments, the augmented reality system receives sounds and detects speech. For example, the augmented reality system may differentiate general ambient noises and sounds from speech based on techniques known to those skilled in the art, such as Voice Activity Detection (VAD).

0023In some example embodiments, the augmented reality system identifies a source of the speech in response to detecting the speech. For example, the source of the speech may include a person (e.g., a person in the space depicted in the presentation of the space), as well as a radio, television, telephone and/or mobile device, or other similar device that includes speakers and which may be configured to output a sound signal. For example, to identify a source of the speech, the augmented reality system may apply speech detection or facial landmark recognition techniques and other similar techniques to detect a person's lips moving. Based on the person's lips moving, the augmented reality system may determine that the person (specifically the person's mouth) is the source of the speech.

0024In instances where the source of the speech is a radio, television, telephone and/or mobile device, the augmented reality system may apply acoustic source localization techniques. Acoustic source localization include techniques for locating a source of a source given measurements of a sound field. The sound field can be described using physical quantities like sound pressure and particle velocity. By measuring these properties it is (indirectly) possible to obtain a source direction.

0025For example, the presentation of the space may include depictions of multiple people, each with corresponding user profiles. Flaying received the speech data (e.g., the speech recorded through the microphone), the augmented reality system identifies a user profile based on the speech data through speech recognition techniques. Upon determining the user profile based on the speech data, the augmented reality system determines which individual depicted in the presentation is the source of the speech based on facial landmark recognition data.

0026In some example embodiments, the augmented reality system transcribes the speech into a text string based on natural language speech recognition techniques. In further embodiments, the augmented reality system may translate the transcribed text string into one or more languages based on user preferences.

0027Having identified a source of the speech, the augmented reality system generates and causes display of a speech bubble. The size and position of the speech bubble may be based on the speech data, the text string, and the location of the source of the speech. For example, the transcribed speech data may have a length based on a total number of characters in the text string. The size of the speech bubble may thereby be based on the total number of characters in the text string. The position of the speech bubble in the GUI may be based on the location of the source of the speech. The augmented reality system may place the speech bubble adjacent to the source of the speech. In some example embodiments, the augmented reality system may identify significant and/or essential elements in the presentation a person or persons), and place the speech bubble at a position so as not to obstruct the essential and significant elements.

0028In some embodiments, the augmented reality system may determine an emotional effect of the detected speech based on techniques that include, but are not limited to: analysis of attributes of the speech itself (e.g., volume and cadence of the speech); and a translation of the text string of the transcribed speech; as well as facial landmark recognition techniques (e.g., based on facial landmarks of a user). The emotional effect may include anger, sadness, happiness, love, and the like. In some embodiments, the presentation of the speech bubble and the text string generated by the augmented reality system may be based on the emotional effect.

0029For example, in some example embodiments, the augmented reality system may parse the text string of the transcribed speech into individual words, determine a definition of the set of words, and compare the definitions of the words to an emotional effect library. Based on the comparison, the augmented reality system may determine an intended emotional effect of the speech. For example, the text string may include a set of words that are typically associated with happiness, either literally, or based on context.

0030In further embodiments, the augmented reality system may determine the emotional effect of the detected speech based on the speech data, and attributes of the speech itself. For example, the speech data may indicate a volume, as well as a cadence of the speech. The augmented reality system may therefore determine the emotional effect based on the speech attributes, such as the volume and cadence.

0031In further embodiments, the augmented reality system may determine the emotional effect of the detected speech based on facial landmark recognition techniques. For example, having identifies a user as the source of the speech, the augmented reality system may capture facial landmarks of the user and apply facial landmark recognition techniques to determine an emotional state of the user (e.g., based on a smile, a frown, a furrowed brow, etc.). Thus, based on the emotional state, the augmented reality system determines the emotional effect of the speech.

0032In some example embodiments, the augmented reality system may detect non-verbal sounds and identify an appropriate onomatopoeia based on the non-verbal sounds. Onomatopoeia refers to words that phonetically imitate or suggest a non-verbal sound. Words like “bang,” “woof,” and “pop” are examples of onomatopoeia that refer to non-verbal sounds. Upon detecting a non-verbal sound, the augmented reality system may access an onomatopoeia library to select an appropriate onomatopoeia, and generates and causes display of a graphical element at a location in the GUI based on the source of the onomatopoeia.

0033Consider an illustrative example from a user perspective. A client device, executing an application of the augmented reality system, may display a presentation of a space (e.g., a basketball court, an office, a restroom, etc.), wherein the space includes one or more individuals (wherein each individual has a corresponding user profile). The augmented reality system may detect speech (e.g., through a microphone of the client device), and identify a source of the speech in the presentation of the space based on the techniques discussed above. For example, the augmented reality system may detect that facial landmarks of a first individual among the one or more individuals depicted in the presentation indicate that the first individual's mouth and lips were moving. Based on the facial landmarks, the augmented reality system may determine that the first individual is a source of the speech.

0034Having determined the source of the speech, the augmented reality system may transcribe the speech to a text string. In some example embodiments, the augmented reality system may also translate the speech to a different language based on preferences. For example, a user associated with the client device itself may specify language preferences indicating a first language, while the detected speech was in a second language. Based on the language preferences of the user associated with the client device, the augmented reality system may translate the detected speech from the second language to the first language.

0035The augmented reality system determines an emotional effect of the speech based on the techniques discussed above. For example, the augmented reality system may determine that based on the facial landmarks of the first individual, and definitions of the text string, the emotional effect of the speech is anger. The augmented reality system generates and causes display of a speech bubble based on a location of the first individual (the source of the speech) and the determined emotional effect. For example, the speech bubble and corresponding text may be stylized to indicate the emotional effect.

0036<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> is a block diagram showing an example messaging system <b>100</b> for exchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content) over a network. The messaging system <b>100</b> includes multiple client devices <b>102</b>, each of which hosts a number of applications including a messaging client application <b>104</b>. Each messaging client application <b>104</b> is communicatively coupled to other instances of the messaging client application <b>104</b> and a messaging server system <b>108</b> via a network <b>106</b> (e.g., the Internet).

0037Accordingly, each messaging client application <b>104</b> is able to communicate and exchange data with another messaging client application <b>104</b> and with the messaging server system <b>108</b> via the network <b>106</b>. The data exchanged between messaging client applications <b>104</b>, and between a messaging client application <b>104</b> and the messaging server system <b>108</b>, includes functions (e.g., commands to invoke functions) as well as payload data (e.g., text, audio, video or other multimedia data).

0038The messaging server system <b>108</b> provides server-side functionality via the network <b>106</b> to a particular messaging client application <b>104</b>. While certain functions of the messaging system <b>100</b> are described herein as being performed by either a messaging client application <b>104</b> or by the messaging server system <b>108</b>, it will be appreciated that the location of certain functionality either within the messaging client application <b>104</b> or the messaging server system <b>108</b> is a design choice. For example, it may be technically preferable to initially deploy certain technology and functionality within the messaging server system <b>108</b>, but to later migrate this technology and functionality to the messaging client application <b>104</b> where a client device <b>102</b> has a sufficient processing capacity.

0039The messaging server system <b>108</b> supports various services and operations that are provided to the messaging client application <b>104</b>. Such operations include transmitting data to, receiving data from, and processing data generated by the messaging client application <b>104</b>. In some embodiments, this data includes, message content, client device information, geolocation information, media annotation and overlays, message content persistence conditions, social network information, and live event information, as examples. In other embodiments, other data is used. Data exchanges within the messaging system <b>100</b> are invoked and controlled through functions available via user interfaces (UIs) of the messaging client application <b>104</b>.

0040Turning now specifically to the messaging server system <b>108</b>, an Application Program Interface (API) server <b>110</b> is coupled to, and provides a programmatic interface to, an application server <b>112</b>. The application server <b>112</b> is communicatively coupled to a database server(s) <b>118</b>, which facilitates access to a database(s) <b>120</b> in which is stored data associated with messages processed by the application server <b>112</b>.

0041Dealing specifically with the Application Program Interface (API) server <b>110</b>, this server receives and transmits message data (e.g., commands and message payloads) between the client device <b>102</b> and the application server <b>112</b>. Specifically, the Application Program Interface (API) server <b>110</b> provides a set of interfaces (e.g., routines and protocols) that can be called or queried by the messaging client application <b>104</b> in order to invoke functionality of the application server <b>112</b>. The Application Program Interface (API) server <b>110</b> exposes various functions supported by the application server <b>112</b>, including account registration, login functionality, the sending of messages, via the application server <b>112</b>, from a particular messaging client application <b>104</b> to another messaging client application <b>104</b>, the sending of media files (e.g., images or video) from a messaging client application <b>104</b> to the messaging server application <b>114</b>, and for possible access by another messaging client application <b>104</b>, the setting of a collection of media data (e.g., story), the retrieval of a list of friends of a user of a client device <b>102</b>, the retrieval of such collections, the retrieval of messages and content, the adding and deletion of friends to a social graph, the location of friends within a social graph, opening and application event (e.g., relating to the messaging client application <b>104</b>).

0042The application server <b>112</b> hosts a number of applications and subsystems, including a messaging server application <b>114</b>, an image processing system <b>116</b>, a social network system <b>122</b>, and an augmented reality system <b>124</b>. The augmented reality system <b>124</b> may be or include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, process, store, display, generate, communicate, or apply various forms of data for user profile building, audience derivation, control, or other purposes.

0043The messaging server application <b>114</b> implements a number of message processing technologies and functions, particularly related to the aggregation and other processing of content (e.g., textual and multimedia content) included in messages received from multiple instances of the messaging client application <b>104</b>. As will be described in further detail, the text and media content from multiple sources may be aggregated into collections of content (e.g., called stories or galleries). These collections are then made available, by the messaging server application <b>114</b>, to the messaging client application <b>104</b>. Other processor and memory intensive processing of data may also be performed server-side by the messaging server application <b>114</b>, in view of the hardware requirements for such processing.

0044The application server <b>112</b> also includes an image processing system <b>116</b> that is dedicated to performing various image processing operations, typically with respect to images or video received within the payload of a message at the messaging server application <b>114</b>.

0045The social network system <b>122</b> supports various social networking functions services, and makes these functions and services available to the messaging server application <b>114</b>. To this end, the social network system <b>122</b> maintains and accesses an entity graph <b>304</b> within the database(s) <b>120</b>. Examples of functions and services supported by the social network system <b>122</b> include the identification of other users of the messaging system <b>100</b> with which a particular user has relationships or is “following,” and also the identification of other entities and interests of a particular user.

0046The augmented reality system <b>124</b> provides functionality to generate and cause display of augmented reality elements in a GUI, including speech bubbles, as well as graphical elements representative of onomatopoeia.

0047The application server <b>112</b> is communicatively coupled to one or more database server(s) <b>118</b>, which facilitates access to a database(s) <b>120</b> in which is stored data associated with messages processed by the messaging server application <b>114</b>.

0048<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> is block diagram illustrating further details regarding the messaging system <b>100</b>, according to example embodiments. Specifically, the messaging system <b>100</b> is shown to comprise the messaging client application <b>104</b> and the application server <b>112</b>, which in turn embody a number of some subsystems, namely an ephemeral timer system <b>202</b>, a collection management system <b>204</b> and an annotation system <b>206</b>.

0049The ephemeral timer system <b>202</b> is responsible for enforcing the temporary access to content permitted by the messaging client application <b>104</b> and the messaging server application <b>114</b>. To this end, the ephemeral timer system <b>202</b> incorporates a number of timers that, based on duration and display parameters associated with a message, or collection of messages (e.g., a SNAPCHAT story), selectively display and enable access to messages and associated content via the messaging client application <b>104</b>. Further details regarding the operation of the ephemeral timer system <b>202</b> are provided below.

0050The collection management system <b>204</b> is responsible for managing collections of media (e.g., collections of text, image video and audio data). In some examples, a collection of content (e.g., messages, including images, video, text and audio) may be organized into an “event gallery” or an “event story.” Such a collection may be made available for a specified time period, such as the duration of an event to which the content relates. For example, content relating to a music concert may be made available as a “story” for the duration of that music concert. The collection management system <b>204</b> may also be responsible for publishing an icon that provides notification of the existence of a particular collection to the user interface of the messaging client application <b>104</b>.

0051The collection management system <b>204</b> furthermore includes a curation interface <b>208</b> that allows a collection manager to manage and curate a particular collection of content. For example, the curation interface <b>208</b> enables an event organizer to curate a collection of content relating to a specific event (e.g., delete inappropriate content or redundant messages). Additionally, the collection management system <b>204</b> employs machine vision (or image recognition technology) and content rules to automatically curate a content collection. In certain embodiments, compensation may be paid to a user for inclusion of user generated content into a collection. In such cases, the curation interface <b>208</b> operates to automatically make payments to such users for the use of their content.

0052The annotation system <b>206</b> provides various functions that enable a user to annotate or otherwise modify or edit media content associated with a message. For example, the annotation system <b>206</b> provides functions related to the generation and publishing of media overlays for messages processed by the messaging system <b>100</b>. The annotation system <b>206</b> operatively supplies a media overlay (e.g., a SNAPCHAT filter) to the messaging client application <b>104</b> based on a geolocation of the client device <b>102</b>. In another example, the annotation system <b>206</b> operatively supplies a media overlay to the messaging client application <b>104</b> based on other information, such as, social network information of the user of the client device <b>102</b>. A media overlay may include audio and visual content and visual effects. Examples of audio and visual content include pictures, texts, logos, animations, and sound effects. An example of a visual effect includes color overlaying. The audio and visual content or the visual effects can be applied to a media content item (e.g., a photo) at the client device <b>102</b>. For example, the media overlay including text that can be overlaid on top of a photograph generated taken by the client device <b>102</b>. In another example, the media overlay includes an identification of a location overlay (e.g., Venice beach), a name of a live event, or a name of a merchant overlay (e.g., Beach Coffee House). In another example, the annotation system <b>206</b> uses the geolocation of the client device <b>102</b> to identify a media overlay that includes the name of a merchant at the geolocation of the client device <b>102</b>. The media overlay may include other indicia associated with the merchant. The media overlays may be stored in the database(s) <b>120</b> and accessed through the database server(s) <b>118</b>.

0053In one example embodiment, the annotation system <b>206</b> provides a user-based publication platform that enables users to select a geolocation on a map, and upload content associated with the selected geolocation. The user may also specify circumstances under which a particular media overlay should be offered to other users. The annotation system <b>206</b> generates a media overlay that includes the uploaded content and associates the uploaded content with the selected geolocation.

0054In another example embodiment, the annotation system <b>206</b> provides a merchant-based publication platform that enables merchants to select a particular media overlay associated with a geolocation via a bidding process. For example, the annotation system <b>206</b> associates the media overlay of a highest bidding merchant with a corresponding geolocation for a predefined amount of time

0055<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> is a schematic diagram <b>300</b> illustrating data which may be stored in the database(s) <b>120</b> of the messaging server system <b>108</b>, according to certain example embodiments. While the content of the database(s) <b>120</b> is shown to comprise a number of tables, it will be appreciated that the data could be stored in other types of data structures (e.g., as an object-oriented database).

0056The database(s) <b>120</b> includes message data stored within a message table <b>314</b>. The entity table <b>302</b> stores entity data, including an entity graph <b>304</b>. Entities for which records are maintained within the entity table <b>302</b> may include individuals, corporate entities, organizations, objects, places, events etc. Regardless of type, any entity regarding which the messaging server system <b>108</b> stores data may be a recognized entity. Each entity is provided with a unique identifier, as well as an entity type identifier (not shown).

0057The entity graph <b>304</b> furthermore stores information regarding relationships and associations between entities. Such relationships may be social, professional (e.g., work at a common corporation or organization) interested-based or activity-based, merely for example.

0058The database(s) <b>120</b> also stores annotation data, in the example form of filters, in an annotation table <b>312</b>. Filters for which data is stored within the annotation table <b>312</b> are associated with and applied to videos (for which data is stored in a video table <b>310</b>) and/or images (for which data is stored in an image table <b>308</b>). Filters, in one example, are overlays that are displayed as overlaid on an image or video during presentation to a recipient user. Filters may be of varies types, including a user-selected filters from a gallery of filters presented to a sending user by the messaging client application <b>104</b> when the sending user is composing a message. Other types of filers include geolocation filters (also known as geo-filters) which may be presented to a sending user based on geographic location. For example, geolocation filters specific to a neighborhood or special location may be presented within a user interface by the messaging client application <b>104</b>, based on geolocation information determined by a UPS unit of the client device <b>102</b>. Another type of filer is a data filer, which may be selectively presented to a sending user by the messaging client application <b>104</b>, based on other inputs or information gathered by the client device <b>102</b> during the message creation process. Example of data filters include current temperature at a specific location, a current speed at which a sending user is traveling, battery life for a client device <b>102</b> or the current time.

0059Other annotation data that may be stored within the image table <b>308</b> is so-called “lens” data. A “lens” may be a real-time special effect and sound that may be added to an image or a video.

0060As mentioned above, the video table <b>310</b> stores video data which, in one embodiment, is associated with messages for which records are maintained within the message table <b>314</b>. Similarly, the image table <b>308</b> stores image data associated with messages for which message data is stored in the entity table <b>302</b>. The entity table <b>302</b> may associate various annotations from the annotation table <b>312</b> with various images and videos stored in the image table <b>308</b> and the video table <b>310</b>.

0061A story table <b>306</b> stores data regarding collections of messages and associated image, video or audio data, which are compiled into a collection (e.g., a SNAPCHAT story or a gallery). The creation of a particular collection may be initiated by a particular user (e.g., each user for which a record is maintained in the entity table <b>302</b>) A user may create a “personal story” in the form of a collection of content that has been created and sent/broadcast by that user. To this end, the user interface of the messaging client application <b>104</b> may, include an icon that is user selectable to enable a sending user to add specific content to his or her personal story.

0062A collection may also constitute a “live story,” which is a collection of content from multiple users that is created manually, automatically or using a combination of manual and automatic techniques. For example, a “live story” may constitute a curated stream of user-submitted content from varies locations and events. Users, whose client devices have location services enabled and are at a common location event at a particular time may, for example, be presented with an option, via a user interface of the messaging client application <b>104</b>, to contribute content to a particular live story. The live story may be identified to the user by the messaging client application <b>104</b>, based on his or her location. The end result is a “live story” told from a community perspective.

0063A further type of content collection is known as a “location story”, which enables a user whose client device <b>102</b> is located within a specific geographic location (e.g., on a college or university campus) to contribute to a particular collection. In some embodiments, a contribution to a location story may require a second degree of authentication to verify that the end user belongs to a specific organization or other entity (e.g., is a student on the university campus).

0064<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a message <b>400</b>, according to some in some embodiments, generated by a messaging client application <b>104</b> for communication to a further messaging client application <b>104</b> or the messaging server application <b>114</b>. The content of a particular message <b>400</b> is used to populate the message table <b>314</b> stored within the database(s) <b>120</b>, accessible by the messaging server application <b>114</b>. Similarly, the content of a message <b>400</b> is stored in memory as “in-transit” or “in-flight” data of the client device <b>102</b> or the application server <b>112</b>. The message <b>400</b> is shown to include the following components: <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li id="ul0001-0001" num="0000"><ul id="ul0002" list-style="none"><li id="ul0002-0001" num="0065">A message identifier <b>402</b>: a unique identifier that identifies the message <b>400</b>.</li><li id="ul0002-0002" num="0066">A message text payload <b>404</b>: text, to be generated by a user via a user interface of the client device <b>102</b> and that is included in the message <b>400</b>.</li><li id="ul0002-0003" num="0067">A message image payload <b>406</b>: image data, captured by a camera component of a client device <b>102</b> or retrieved from memory of a client device <b>102</b>, and that is included in the message <b>400</b>.</li><li id="ul0002-0004" num="0068">A message video payload <b>408</b>: video data, captured by a camera component or retrieved from a memory component of the client device <b>102</b> and that is included in the message <b>400</b>.</li><li id="ul0002-0005" num="0069">A message audio payload <b>410</b>: audio data, captured by a microphone or retrieved from the memory component of the client device <b>102</b>, and that is included in the message <b>400</b>.</li><li id="ul0002-0006" num="0070">A message annotations <b>412</b>: annotation data (e.g., filters, stickers or other enhancements) that represents annotations to be applied to message image payload <b>406</b>, message video payload <b>408</b>, or message audio payload <b>410</b> of the message <b>400</b>.</li><li id="ul0002-0007" num="0071">A message duration parameter <b>414</b>: parameter value indicating, in seconds, the amount of time for which content of the message (e.g., the message image payload <b>406</b>, message video payload <b>408</b>, message audio payload <b>410</b>) is to be presented or made accessible to a user via the messaging client application <b>104</b>.</li><li id="ul0002-0008" num="0072">A message geolocation parameter <b>416</b>: geolocation data (e.g., latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates) associated with the content payload of the message. Multiple message geolocation parameter <b>416</b> values may be included in the payload, each of these parameter values being associated with respect to content items included in the content (e.g., a specific image into within the message image payload <b>406</b>, or a specific video in the message video payload <b>408</b>).</li><li id="ul0002-0009" num="0073">A message story identifier <b>418</b>: identifier values identifying one or more content collections (e.g., “stories”) with which a particular content item in the message image payload <b>406</b> of the message <b>400</b> is associated. For example, multiple images within the message image payload <b>406</b> may each be associated with multiple content collections using identifier values.</li><li id="ul0002-0010" num="0074">A message tag <b>420</b>: each message <b>400</b> may be tagged with multiple tags, each of which is indicative of the subject matter of content included in the message payload. For example, where a particular image included in the message image payload <b>406</b> depicts an animal (e.g., a lion), a tag value may be included within the message tag <b>420</b> that is indicative of the relevant animal. Tag values may be generated manually, based on user input, or may be automatically generated using, for example, image recognition.</li><li id="ul0002-0011" num="0075">A message sender identifier <b>422</b>: an identifier (e.g., a messaging system identifier, email address or device identifier) indicative of a user of the client device <b>102</b> on which the message <b>400</b> was generated and from which the message <b>400</b> was sent</li><li id="ul0002-0012" num="0076">A message receiver identifier <b>424</b>: an identifier (e.g., a messaging system identifier, email address or device identifier) indicative of a user of the client device <b>102</b> to which the message <b>400</b> is addressed.</li></ul></li></ul>

0077The contents (e.g. values) of the various components of message <b>400</b> may be pointers to locations in tables within which content data values are stored. For example, an image value in the message image payload <b>406</b> may be a pointer to (or address of) a location within an image table <b>308</b>. Similarly, values within the message video payload <b>408</b> may point to data stored within a video table <b>310</b>, values stored within the message annotations <b>412</b> may point to data stored in an annotation table <b>312</b>, values stored within the message story identifier <b>418</b> may point to data stored in a story table <b>306</b>, and values stored within the message sender identifier <b>422</b> and the message receiver identifier <b>424</b> may point to user records stored within an entity table <b>302</b>.

0078<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> is a schematic diagram illustrating an access-limiting process <b>500</b>, in terms of which access to content (e.g., an ephemeral message <b>502</b>, and associated multimedia payload of data) or a content collection (e.g., an ephemeral message story <b>504</b>) may be time-limited (e.g., made ephemeral).

0079An ephemeral message <b>502</b> is shown to be associated with a message duration parameter <b>506</b>, the value of which determines an amount of time that the ephemeral message <b>502</b> will be displayed to a receiving user of the ephemeral message <b>502</b> by the messaging client application <b>104</b>. In one embodiment, where the messaging client application <b>104</b> is a SNAPCHAT application client, an ephemeral message <b>502</b> is viewable by a receiving user for up to a maximum of 10 seconds, depending on the amount of time that the sending user specifies using the message duration parameter <b>506</b>.

0080The message duration parameter <b>506</b> and the message receiver identifier <b>424</b> are shown to be inputs to a message timer <b>512</b>, which is responsible for determining the amount of time that the ephemeral message <b>502</b> is shown to a particular receiving user identified by the message receiver identifier <b>424</b>. In particular, the ephemeral message <b>502</b> will only be shown to the relevant receiving user for a time period determined by the value of the message duration parameter <b>506</b>. The message timer <b>512</b> is shown to provide output to a more generalized ephemeral timer system <b>202</b>, which is responsible for the overall timing of display of content (e.g., an ephemeral message <b>502</b>) to a receiving user.

0081The ephemeral message <b>502</b> is shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> to be included within an ephemeral message story <b>504</b> (e.g., a personal SNAPCHAT story, or an event story). The ephemeral message story <b>504</b> has an associated story duration parameter <b>508</b>, a value of which determines a time-duration for which the ephemeral message story <b>504</b> is presented and accessible to users of the messaging system <b>100</b>. The story duration parameter <b>508</b>, for example, may be the duration of a music concert, where the ephemeral message story <b>504</b> is a collection of content pertaining to that concert. Alternatively, a user (either the owning user or a curator user) may specify the value for the story duration parameter <b>508</b> when performing the setup and creation of the ephemeral message story <b>504</b>.

0082Additionally, each ephemeral message <b>502</b> within the ephemeral message story <b>504</b> has an associated story participation parameter <b>510</b>, a value of which determines the duration of time for which the ephemeral message <b>502</b> will be accessible within the context of the ephemeral message story <b>504</b>. Accordingly, a particular ephemeral message story <b>504</b> may “expire” and become inaccessible within the context of the ephemeral message story <b>504</b>, prior to the ephemeral message story <b>504</b> itself expiring in terms of the story duration parameter <b>508</b>. The story duration parameter <b>508</b>, story participation parameter <b>510</b>, and message receiver identifier <b>424</b> each provide input to a story timer <b>514</b>, which operationally determines, firstly, whether a particular ephemeral message <b>502</b> of the ephemeral message story <b>504</b> will be displayed to a particular receiving user and, if so, for how long. Note that the ephemeral message story <b>504</b> is also aware of the identity of the particular receiving user as a result of the message receiver identifier <b>424</b>.

0083Accordingly, the story timer <b>514</b> operationally controls the overall lifespan of an associated ephemeral message story <b>504</b>, as well as an individual ephemeral message <b>502</b> included in the ephemeral message story <b>504</b>. In one embodiment, each and every ephemeral message <b>502</b> within the ephemeral message story <b>504</b> remains viewable and accessible for a time-period specified by the story duration parameter <b>508</b>. In a further embodiment, a certain ephemeral message <b>502</b> may expire, within the context of ephemeral message story <b>504</b>, based on a story participation parameter <b>510</b>. Note that a message duration parameter <b>506</b> may still determine the duration of time for which a particular ephemeral message <b>502</b> is displayed to a receiving user, even within the context of the ephemeral message story <b>504</b>. Accordingly, the message duration parameter <b>506</b> determines the duration of time that a particular ephemeral message <b>502</b> is displayed to a receiving user, regardless of whether the receiving user is viewing that ephemeral message <b>502</b> inside or outside the context of an ephemeral message story <b>504</b>.

0084The ephemeral tinier system <b>202</b> may furthermore operationally remove a particular ephemeral message <b>502</b> from the ephemeral message story <b>504</b> based on a determination that it has exceeded an associated story participation parameter <b>510</b>. For example, when a sending user has established a story participation parameter <b>510</b> of 24 hours from posting, the ephemeral timer system <b>202</b> will remove the relevant ephemeral message <b>502</b> from the ephemeral message story <b>504</b> after the specified 24 hours. The ephemeral timer system <b>202</b> also operates to remove an ephemeral message story <b>504</b> either when the story participation parameter <b>510</b> for each and every ephemeral message <b>502</b> within the ephemeral message story <b>504</b> has expired, or when the ephemeral message story <b>504</b> itself has expired in terms of the story duration parameter <b>508</b>.

0085In certain use cases, a creator of a particular ephemeral message story <b>504</b> may specify an indefinite story duration parameter <b>508</b>. In this case, the expiration of the story participation parameter <b>510</b> for the last remaining ephemeral message <b>502</b> within the ephemeral message story <b>504</b> will determine when the ephemeral message story <b>504</b> itself expires. In this case, a new ephemeral message <b>502</b>, added to the ephemeral message story <b>504</b>, with a new story participation parameter <b>510</b>, effectively extends the life of an ephemeral message story <b>504</b> to equal the value of the story participation parameter <b>510</b>. The ephemeral message story may include a speech bubble displayed within a presentation of a space.

0086Responsive to the ephemeral timer system <b>202</b> determining that an ephemeral message story <b>504</b> has expired (e.g., is no longer accessible), the ephemeral timer system <b>202</b> communicates with the messaging system <b>100</b> (and, for example, specifically the messaging client application <b>104</b> to cause an indicium (e.g., an icon) associated with the relevant ephemeral message story <b>504</b> to no longer be displayed within a user interface of the messaging client application <b>104</b>. Similarly, when the ephemeral timer system <b>202</b> determines that the message duration parameter <b>506</b> for a particular ephemeral message <b>502</b> has expired, the ephemeral timer system <b>202</b> causes the messaging client application <b>104</b> to no longer display an indicium (e.g., an icon or textual identification) associated with the ephemeral message <b>502</b>. In some embodiments, the speech bubble may only be displayed for a period of time defined by the ephemeral timer system <b>202</b>. For example, upon expiration of the time period, the speech bubble may vanish from a presentation of a space, and in further embodiments, may be replaced by a different speech bubble altogether.

0087<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> is a block diagram <b>600</b> illustrating one possible implementation of components of the augmented reality system <b>124</b>. In various embodiments, such components configure the augmented reality system <b>124</b> to cause display of a presentation of a space, detect speech, identify a source of the speech, determine the location of a depiction of the source of the speech in the presentation of the space, transcribe the speech to a text string, generate a speech bubble based on the text string, and cause display of the speech bubble at a position in the presentation of the space. The augmented reality system <b>124</b> is shown as including a presentation module <b>602</b>, a detection module <b>604</b>, an identification module <b>606</b>, and a transcription module <b>608</b>, all, or some, configured to communicate with each other (e.g., via a bus, shared memory, or a switch). Any one or more of these modules may be implemented using one or more processors <b>610</b> (e.g., by configuring such one or more processors to perform functions described for that module) and hence may include one or more of the processors <b>610</b>.

0088Any one or more of the modules described may be implemented using hardware alone (e.g., one or more of the processors <b>610</b> of a machine) or a combination of hardware and software. For example, any module described of the augmented reality system <b>124</b> may physically include an arrangement of one or more of the processors <b>610</b> (e.g., a subset of or among the one or more processors of the machine) configured to perform the operations described herein for that module. As another example, any module of the engagement tracking system <b>610</b> may include software, hardware, or both, that configure an arrangement of one or more processors <b>610</b> (e.g., among the one or more processors of the machine) to perform the operations described herein for that module. Accordingly, different modules of the engagement tracking system <b>610</b> may include and configure different arrangements of such processors <b>610</b> or a single arrangement of such processors <b>610</b> at different points in time. Moreover, any two or more modules of the augmented reality system <b>124</b> may, be combined into a single module, and the functions described herein for a single module may be subdivided among multiple modules. Furthermore, according to various example embodiments, modules described herein as being implemented within a single machine, database, or device may be distributed across multiple machines, databases, or devices.

0089<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref> is a flowchart illustrating various operations of the augmented reality system <b>124</b> in performing a method <b>700</b> for generating and causing display of a speech bubble in a graphical user interface, according to certain example embodiments. Operations of the method <b>700</b> may be performed by the modules described above with respect to <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref>. As shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref>, the method <b>700</b> includes one or more operations <b>702</b>, <b>704</b>, <b>706</b>, <b>708</b>, <b>710</b> and <b>712</b>. In some example embodiments, the method <b>700</b> may be performed by the augmented reality system <b>124</b> in real-time during a video chat between client devices. For example, as users of the client devices speak to one another, the method <b>700</b> may be performed to generate and cause display of speech bubbles within the corresponding displays of the client devices.

0090Operation <b>702</b> may be performed by the presentation module <b>602</b>. At operation <b>702</b>, the presentation module <b>602</b> generates and causes display of a presentation of a space at a client device (e.g., client device <b>102</b>). For example, the client device <b>102</b> may have an integrated camera, and may capture and display an image of a space. The presentation of the space may include a depiction of a first person.

0091Operation <b>704</b> may be performed by the detection module <b>604</b>. At operation <b>704</b>, the detection module <b>604</b> detects sounds (e.g., via a microphone component of a mobile computing device) that include speech. The speech may include speech properties such as a volume, a cadence, a tone, as well as a length of the speech. For example, the detection module <b>604</b> may capture ambient sound, and detect speech in the ambient sound based on various speech detection techniques as discussed above. The detection module <b>604</b> may then extract the speech properties from the audio data that contains the speech.

0092Operation <b>706</b> may be performed by the identification module <b>606</b>. At operation <b>706</b>, the identification module <b>606</b> identifies the first person as a source of the speech. For example, the identification module <b>606</b> may detect movement of one or more facial landmarks of the first person based on the image of the space. The identification module <b>606</b> may determine that the facial landmarks of the first person indicate that their mouth was moving indicating that they were speaking). Based on the facial landmarks of the first person indicating that a mouth of the first person was moving at the time that the speech was detected, the identification module <b>606</b> may determine that the first person was the source of the speech. In response to determining that the first person was the source of the speech, the identification module <b>606</b> determines a location of the first person in the image in order to appropriately place the speech bubble.

0093In further embodiments, the identification module <b>606</b> may employ speech recognition techniques to identify the first person as the source of the speech. For example, the first person may have an associated user profile that includes speech data, such that the first person may be identified based on the speech data. Upon detecting the speech, the identification module <b>606</b> may determine that based on the speech data and the speech, that the source of the speech is the first person. Upon determining that the source of the speech is the first person, the identification module <b>606</b> may determine that the image includes a depiction of the first person based on the facial landmark recognition data and the image data.

0094In instances where the source of the speech is a radio, television, telephone and/or mobile device, the identification module <b>606</b> may apply acoustic source localization techniques. Acoustic source localization include techniques for locating a source of a source given measurements of a sound field. For acoustic localization this means that if the source direction is measured at two or more locations in space, it is possible to triangulate its location. For example, the identification module <b>606</b> may record the speech as segments of audio data, wherein each segment of the audio data is recorded at a slightly different position, due to inherent movement of the recording device (e.g., a user holding a mobile phone will inadvertently move the mobile phone even slightly during recording). The identification module <b>606</b> determines a location of the speech based on triangulation of the segments of audio data. The identification module <b>606</b> therefore determines the source of the speech based on the location.

0095The sound field can be described using physical quantities like sound pressure and particle velocity. By measuring these properties it is (indirectly) possible to obtain a source direction.

0096Operation <b>708</b> may be performed by the transcription module <b>608</b>. At operation <b>708</b>, the transcription module <b>608</b> transcribes the speech to a text string. The transcription module <b>608</b> may reside within a client device <b>102</b>, performing the transcription of the speech to text at the client device <b>102</b> itself, while in other example embodiments, the transcription module <b>608</b> may reside within a server system, remote from the client device <b>102</b>, and delivering the transcribed speech to the client device <b>102</b>.

0097In response to the detection module <b>604</b> detecting the speech, the transcription module <b>608</b> may record the speech to a database (e.g., database <b>120</b>). In some example embodiments, the transcription module <b>608</b> may not record the speech to the database <b>120</b> at all, and may instead transcribe the speech to a text string in real time based on speech recognition technology known to persons of skill in the art.

0098In some example embodiments, the transcription module <b>608</b> determines appropriate punctuation to apply to the text string based on the speech properties, including the cadence of the speech. For example, based on the inflection of the speech, the transcription module <b>608</b> may select a comma, a question mark, period, exclamation point, ellipsis, or the like.

0099In some example embodiments, the transcription module <b>608</b> may translate the speech from a first language to a second language, based on a user language preference, or based on a user input specifying a translation request. For example, a user of the client device <b>102</b> may have an associated user profile that includes a language preference specifying a language (e.g., the second language). Upon detecting the speech, the detection module <b>604</b> determines that the speech is in a first language. The transcription module <b>608</b> may transcribe the speech into a text string, and translate the text string from the first language to the second language.

0100In further example embodiments, a user of the client device <b>102</b> may provide a user input specifying a translation request to translate the speech from the first language to a language specified by the user. For example, a user of the client device <b>102</b> may provide a user input requesting that the speech be translated from a first language to a second language specified by the user. In some embodiments, the transcription module <b>608</b> may automatically detect the language of the speech, while in other embodiments the user may specify the language of the speech as well as the language to translate the speech.

0101Operation <b>710</b> may be performed by the presentation module <b>602</b>. At operation <b>710</b>, the presentation module <b>602</b> generates a speech bubble that includes a presentation of the text string, based on the speech properties, a location of the source of the speech in the presentation, and the text string. The speech bubble may for example include a main body portion to include a presentation of the text string, and a tail portion to indicate a source of the speech. In instances where more than one sources of a speech have been identified, the presentation module <b>602</b> may generate a speech bubble that includes multiple tail portions, wherein each tail portion is directed at a source of the speech. In further embodiments, the shape of the speech bubble may be based on an emotional effect of the speech, wherein the emotional effect may be determined based on the speech properties.

0102The size of the speech bubble may be based on the length of the text string. For example, the presentation module <b>602</b> may generate the speech bubble such that the text string is entirely enclosed and encompassed by the speech bubble. In some example embodiments, the presentation module <b>602</b> may present only a portion of the text string at a given time by only displaying single sentences of the text string at a time, or by breaking the text string into portions based on natural pauses and breaks in the speech.

0103Operation <b>712</b> may be performed by the presentation module <b>602</b>. At operations <b>712</b>, the presentation module <b>602</b> causes display of the speech bubble at a position in the presentation of the space, based on the location of the source of the speech. In some example embodiments, the presentation module <b>602</b> identifies the position to display the speech bubble based on the location of the source of the speech, as well as locations of significant elements in the presentation. For example, the presentation module <b>602</b> may identify a position in the presentation of the space that does not include any significant elements (e.g., faces). The presentation module <b>602</b> may thereby display the speech bubble at the position without obstructing any significant elements in the presentation.

0104<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref> is a diagram illustrating various operations of the augmented reality system <b>150</b> in performing a method <b>800</b> for generating the speech bubble based on an emotional effect, according to certain example embodiments. Operations of the method <b>800</b> may be performed by the modules described above with respect to <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref>. As shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref>, the method <b>800</b> includes one or more operations <b>802</b>, <b>804</b>, and <b>806</b> that may be performed as part (e.g., a precursor task, a subroutine, or a portion) of the method <b>700</b>, according to some example embodiments.

0105Operation <b>802</b> may be performed by the detection module <b>604</b>. At operation <b>802</b>, the detection module <b>802</b> determines an emotional effect of the speech based on one or more of the speech properties, facial recognition, and the speech itself. For example, to determine the emotional effect of the speech, the detection module <b>604</b> may apply facial landmark recognition techniques to analyze facial landmarks of a person identified as the source of the speech. In further embodiments, the detection module <b>604</b> determines the emotional effect of the speech based on the speech properties including the volume and cadence of the speech. For example, a high volume may indicate excitement or anger, while a low volume may indicate shyness.

0106In further embodiments, the detection module <b>604</b> may determine the emotional effect of the speech based on definitions of keywords in the context of the speech. For example, the detection module <b>604</b> may access the transcribed text string of the speech and determine definitions for each word of the text string. The detection module <b>604</b> may thereby compare the definitions of the speech to an emotional effect library, wherein the emotional effect library includes a set of emotions and corresponding words and definitions. The detection module <b>604</b> may thereby select an appropriate emotional effect based on the words and/or definitions.

0107Operation <b>804</b> may be performed by the presentation module <b>602</b>. At operation <b>804</b>, the presentation module <b>602</b> accesses a speech bubble library, that includes a set of speech bubble themes. The speech bubble themes indicate a design and form to be applied to the speech bubble based on the emotional effect. For example, an emotional effect of “angry” may have a corresponding speech bubble theme that causes the speech bubble to display as a red jagged bubble, with red text and animated fire, while an emotional effect of “sad” may have a corresponding speech bubble theme that causes the speech bubble to display as a drooping blue bubble with frowny faces and black text. The speech bubble themes may also have corresponding graphical elements and icon to be displayed with the speech bubbles in the presentation of the space (e.g., hearts, smiley faces, frowny faces, etc.).

0108Operation <b>806</b> may be performed by the presentation module <b>602</b>. At operation <b>806</b>, the presentation module <b>602</b> selects a speech bubble theme based on the emotional effect.

0109<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref> is a flowchart illustrating various operations of the augmented reality system <b>150</b> in performing a method <b>900</b> for causing display of a graphical element based on an onomatopoeia, according to certain example embodiments. Operations of the method <b>900</b> may be performed by the modules described above with respect to <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref>. As shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref>, the method <b>900</b> includes one or more operations <b>902</b>, <b>904</b>, <b>906</b>, and <b>908</b> that may be performed as part (e.g., a precursor task, a subroutine, or a portion) of the method <b>700</b>, according to some example embodiments.

0110Operation <b>902</b> may be performed by the detection module <b>604</b>. At operation <b>902</b>, the detection module <b>604</b> detects a non-verbal sound. Non-verbal sounds may include noises described by onomatopoeic words, such as “boom,” “pop,” “snkit,” “meow,” “moo,” “woof woof,” and the like.

0111Operation <b>904</b> may be performed by the detection module <b>604</b>. At operation <b>604</b>, the detection module <b>604</b> compares the non-verbal sound to an onomatopoeia library that includes a list of onomatopoeic words. For example, the detection module <b>604</b> may record a wave form representative of the non-verbal sound and compare the wave form to a list of onomatopoeic words with corresponding wave forms in the onomatopoeia library.

0112Operation <b>906</b> may be performed by the detection module <b>604</b>. At operation <b>906</b>, the detection module <b>604</b> identifies an appropriate onomatopoeia from the onomatopoeia library based on the non-verbal sounds (e.g., the wave form representative of the non-verbal sound). In some example embodiments, the onomatopoeia library may include a list of graphical elements representative of their corresponding onomatopoetic word (e.g., an explosion for “boom”).

0113Operation <b>908</b> may be performed by the presentation module <b>602</b>. At operation <b>908</b>, the presentation module <b>602</b> causes display of the graphical element and the onomatopoetic word at a position in the presentation of the space. In some example embodiments, the detection module <b>604</b> may identify a location of the non-verbal sound. The presentation module <b>602</b> may cause display of the onomatopoetic word at a position based on the location of the non-verbal sound.

0114<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref> is an example of an augmented reality interface <b>1000</b> configured to display a presentation <b>1010</b> of a space and a speech bubble <b>1020</b> generated by the augmented reality system <b>150</b>, according to certain example embodiments. As shown, <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref> includes the presentation <b>1010</b>, speech bubble <b>1020</b>, a first individual <b>1030</b>, a text string <b>1040</b>, and a second individual <b>1050</b>.

0115As shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref>, the presentation <b>1010</b> may include a depiction of the first individual <b>1030</b> and the second individual <b>1050</b>, who may be engaged in a conversation. As discussed above, with respect to operations <b>704</b> and <b>706</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref>, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> detects and identifies a source of speech based on factors that may include facial landmarks of a user (e.g., the first user <b>1030</b>), and/or speech and facial landmark recognition technology. As shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref>, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> identified the first individual <b>1030</b> as the source of a speech.

0116As discussed in operation <b>708</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref>, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> transcribes the detected speech to a text string <b>1040</b>, based on properties of the speech that include volume, cadence, tone, and a length of the speech. For example, the text string <b>1040</b> may be displayed in different fonts based on the speech properties for emphasis and/or to indicate an emotional effect of the speech. In some example embodiments, the first individual <b>1030</b> may have an associated user profile that includes display preferences that alter a presentation of the speech bubble <b>1020</b> and the text string <b>1040</b>. The user profile may indicate that text strings associated with the user must be displayed in a specific font (e.g., Times New Roman, Wingdings, Algeria), specific color (e.g., blue, gold), specific language (e.g., English, Armenian, Chinese), etc. For example, in response to identifying the first individual <b>1030</b> as a source of the detected speech, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> may extract facial landmarks of the first individual <b>1030</b> to identify a corresponding user profile of the first individual <b>1030</b> based on speech and/or facial landmark recognition technology. The augmented reality system <b>150</b> may display the text string based on the user profile information and/or the speech properties.

0117The speech bubble <b>1020</b> is generated based on the speech properties and the presentation <b>1010</b>. As discussed in operation <b>710</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref>, and the method <b>800</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref>, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> may generate and cause display of the speech bubble <b>1020</b> based on the speech properties of the detected speech, as well as the presentation <b>1010</b>. For example, the presentation <b>1010</b> includes a depiction of the first individual <b>1030</b> and the second individual <b>1050</b> at positions in the presentation <b>1010</b>. The augmented reality system <b>150</b> may identify an appropriate location in the presentation <b>1010</b> to display the speech bubble <b>1020</b> so that the speech bubble <b>1020</b> does not block or otherwise cover elements in the presentation <b>1010</b>, including for example, the first individual <b>1030</b> and the second individual <b>1050</b>. A size of the speech bubble <b>1020</b> may be based on available/unoccupied space in the presentation <b>1010</b>, as well as based on speech properties.

0118Consider an illustrative explanation of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref>, wherein a user of a client device <b>102</b> displays the presentation <b>1010</b> of the space. As shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref>, the presentation <b>1010</b> includes a depiction of the first individual <b>1030</b> and the second individual <b>1050</b>. As the first individual <b>1030</b> speaks, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> detects the speech and identifies the first individual <b>1030</b> as a source of the speech based on factors discussed above, including an indication that the first individual <b>1030</b> is speaking based on facial landmarks of the first individual <b>1030</b> (e.g., facial landmarks indicate that lips are moving). Upon identifying the first individual <b>1030</b> as the source of the detected speech, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> transcribes the speech to the text string <b>1040</b>, and generates a speech bubble <b>1020</b> based on at least speech properties of the speech. In some example embodiments, the speech bubble <b>1020</b> may additionally be based on a length of the text string. The augmented reality system <b>150</b> displays the speech bubble <b>1020</b> at a position in the presentation <b>1010</b> based on the source of the speech and the available/unoccupied space, in real-time.

0119<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 11</figref> is an example of an augmented reality interface <b>1100</b> configured to display an augmented reality speech bubble <b>1110</b>, according to certain example embodiments. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 11</figref> includes a speech bubble <b>1110</b>, an individual <b>1120</b>, a text string <b>1130</b>, and graphical elements <b>1140</b>.

0120As discussed above, with respect to <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref>, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> may determine an emotional effect of the detected speech. In some example embodiments, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> may determine that the speech includes musical elements, indicating that the speech is singing, or a song. For example, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> may compare the detected speech to a musical library to determine if the speech matches an existing song. In response to a determination that the speech includes musical elements, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> may cause display of a graphical element to indicate that the speech has musical elements (e.g., graphical elements <b>1140</b> includes musical notes).

0121In some example embodiments as discussed above, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> generates the speech bubble <b>1110</b> based on speech properties and the emotional effect.

0122<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 12</figref> is an example of an augmented reality interface <b>1200</b> configured to display augmented reality onomatopoeia <b>1210</b> as discussed in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref>, according to certain example embodiments.

0123As discussed in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref>, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> may detect a non-verbal sound, and compare the non-verbal sound to an onomatopoeia library. Upon comparing the non-verbal sound to the onomatopoeia library, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> may select an appropriate graphical element representative of the onomatopoeia to display in the augmented reality interface <b>1200</b>.

0124In some example embodiments, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> may detect a source of the non-verbal sound based on image and video data, and/or based on audio location techniques. Audio location include techniques for performing accurate three-dimensional location sensing using audio hardware of a mobile device (e.g., client deice <b>102</b>). In such embodiments, the time-of-flight of a sound is used to determine the accurate location of a source of the sound.

0125As depicted in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 12</figref>, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> detects a non-verbal sound and identifies a location of a source of the non-verbal sound based on image and/or audio location techniques. For example, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> may detect a change in the image data that corresponds in time to the detection of the non-verbal sound. Based on the change in the image data occurring simultaneously, or near simultaneously, to the detection of the non-verbal sound, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> may determine a location of the sound.

0126<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 13</figref> is a diagram illustrating various augmented reality speech bubbles <b>1300</b>, according to certain example embodiments. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 13</figref> includes speech bubbles <b>1310</b>, <b>1320</b>, <b>1330</b>, <b>1340</b>, and <b>1350</b>.

0127As discussed in operation <b>804</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref>, the augmented reality system <b>150</b> may select a speech bubble from a speech bubble library based on an emotional effect of the detected speech and the speech properties.

0000Software Architecture

0128<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 14</figref> is a block diagram illustrating an example software architecture <b>1406</b>, which may be used in conjunction with various hardware architectures herein described. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 14</figref> is a non-limiting example of a software architecture and it will be appreciated that many other architectures may be implemented to facilitate the functionality described herein. The software architecture <b>1406</b> may execute on hardware such as machine <b>1300</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 13</figref> that includes, among other things, processors <b>1304</b>, memory <b>1314</b>, and I/O components <b>1318</b>. A representative hardware layer <b>1452</b> is illustrated and can represent, for example, the machine <b>1400</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 14</figref>. The representative hardware layer <b>1452</b> includes a processing unit <b>1454</b> having associated executable instructions <b>1404</b>. Executable instructions <b>1404</b> represent the executable instructions of the software architecture <b>1406</b>, including implementation of the methods, components and so forth described herein. The hardware layer <b>1452</b> also includes memory and/or storage modules memory/storage <b>1456</b>, which also have executable instructions <b>1404</b>. The hardware layer <b>1452</b> may also comprise other hardware <b>1458</b>.

0129In the example architecture of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 14</figref>, the software architecture <b>1406</b> may be conceptualized as a stack of layers where each layer provides particular functionality. For example, the software architecture <b>1406</b> may include layers such as an operating system <b>1402</b>, libraries <b>1420</b>, applications <b>1416</b> and a presentation layer <b>1414</b>. Operationally, the applications <b>1416</b> and/or other components within the layers may invoke application programming interface (API) API calls <b>1408</b> through the software stack and receive a response as in response to the API calls <b>1408</b>. The layers illustrated are representative in nature and not all software architectures have all layers. For example, some mobile or special purpose operating systems may not provide a frameworks/middleware <b>1418</b>, while others may provide such a layer. Other software architectures may include additional or different layers.

0130The operating system <b>1402</b> may manage hardware resources and provide common services. The operating system <b>1402</b> may include, for example, a kernel <b>1422</b>, services <b>1424</b> and drivers <b>1426</b>. The kernel <b>1422</b> may act as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the other software layers. For example, the kernel <b>1422</b> may be responsible for memory management, processor management (e.g., scheduling), component management, networking, security settings, and so on. The services <b>1424</b> may provide other common services for the other software layers. The drivers <b>1426</b> are responsible for controlling or interfacing with the underlying hardware. For instance, the drivers <b>1426</b> include display drivers, camera drivers, Bluetooth® drivers, flash memory drivers, serial communication drivers e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) drivers), Wi-Fi® drivers, audio drivers, power management drivers, and so forth depending on the hardware configuration.

0131The libraries <b>1420</b> provide a common infrastructure that is used by the applications <b>1416</b> and/or other components and/or layers. The libraries <b>1420</b> provide functionality that allows other software components to perform tasks in an easier fashion than to interface directly with the underlying operating system <b>1402</b> functionality (e.g., kernel <b>1422</b>, services <b>1424</b> and/or drivers <b>1426</b>). The libraries <b>1420</b> may include system libraries <b>1444</b> (e.g., C standard library) that may provide functions such as memory allocation functions, string manipulation functions, mathematical functions, and the like. In addition, the libraries <b>1420</b> may include API libraries <b>1446</b> such as media libraries (e.g., libraries to support presentation and manipulation of various media format such as MPREG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG), graphics libraries (e.g., an OpenGL framework that may be used to render 2D and 3D in a graphic content on a display), database libraries (e.g., SQLite that may provide various relational database functions), web libraries (e.g., WebKit that may provide web browsing functionality), and the like. The libraries <b>1420</b> may also include a wide variety of other libraries <b>1448</b> to provide many other APIs to the applications <b>1416</b> and other software components/modules.

0132The frameworks/middleware <b>1418</b> (also sometimes referred to as middleware) provide a higher-level common infrastructure that may be used by the applications <b>1416</b> and/or other software components/modules. For example, the frameworks/middleware <b>1418</b> may provide various graphic user interface (GUI) functions, high-level resource management, high-level location services, and so forth. The frameworks/middleware <b>1418</b> may provide a broad spectrum of other APIs that may be utilized by the applications <b>1416</b> and/or other software components/modules, some of which may be specific to a particular operating system <b>1402</b> or platform.

0133The applications <b>1416</b> include built-in applications <b>1438</b> and/or third-party applications <b>1440</b>. Examples of representative built-in applications <b>1438</b> may include, but are not limited to, a contacts application, a browser application, a book reader application, a location application, a media application, a messaging application, and/or a game application. Third-party applications <b>1440</b> may include an application developed using the ANDROID™ or IOS™ software development kit (SDK) by an entity other than the vendor of the particular platform, and may be mobile software running on a mobile operating system such as IOS™, ANDROID™, WINDOWS® Phone, or other mobile operating systems. The third-party applications <b>1440</b> may invoke the API calls <b>1408</b> provided by the mobile operating system (such as operating system <b>1402</b>) to facilitate functionality described herein.

0134The applications <b>1416</b> may use built in operating system functions (e.g., kernel <b>1422</b>, services <b>1424</b> and/or drivers <b>1426</b>), libraries <b>1420</b>, and frameworks/middleware <b>1418</b> to create user interfaces to interact with users of the system. Alternatively, or additionally, in some systems interactions with a user may occur through a presentation layer, such as presentation layer <b>1414</b>. In these systems, the application/component “logic” can be separated from the aspects of the application/component that interact with a user.

0135<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 15</figref> is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine <b>1500</b>, according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Specifically, <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 15</figref> shows a diagrammatic representation of the machine <b>1500</b> in the example form of a computer system, within which instructions <b>1510</b> (e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code) for causing the machine <b>1500</b> to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. As such, the instructions <b>1510</b> may be used to implement modules or components described herein. The instructions <b>1510</b> transform the general, non-programmed machine <b>1500</b> into a particular machine <b>1500</b> programmed to carry out the described and illustrated functions in the manner described. In alternative embodiments, the machine <b>1500</b> operates as a standalone device or may be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine <b>1500</b> may operate in the capacity of a server machine or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine <b>1500</b> may comprise, but not be limited to, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system, a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance), other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of executing the instructions <b>1510</b>, sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions to be taken by machine <b>1500</b>. Further, while only a single machine <b>1500</b> is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include a collection of machines that individually or jointly execute the instructions <b>1510</b> to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

0136The machine <b>1500</b> may include processors <b>1504</b>, memory memory/storage <b>1506</b>, and I/O components <b>1518</b>, which may be configured to communicate with each other such as via a bus <b>1502</b>. The memory/storage <b>1506</b> may include a memory <b>1514</b>, such as a main memory, or other memory storage, and a storage unit <b>1516</b>, both accessible to the processors <b>1504</b> such as via the bus <b>1502</b>. The storage unit <b>1516</b> and memory <b>1514</b> store the instructions <b>1510</b> embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions <b>1510</b> may also reside, completely or partially, within the memory <b>1514</b>, within the storage unit <b>1516</b>, within at least one of the processors <b>1504</b> (e.g., within the processor's cache memory), or any suitable combination thereof, during execution thereof by the machine <b>1500</b>. Accordingly, the memory <b>1514</b>, the storage unit <b>1516</b>, and the memory of processors <b>1504</b> are examples of machine-readable media.

0137The I/O components <b>1518</b> may include a wide variety of components to receive input, provide output, produce output, transmit information, exchange information, capture measurements, and so on. The specific I/O components <b>1518</b> that are included in a particular machine <b>1500</b> will depend on the type of machine. For example, portable machines such as mobile phones will likely include a touch input device or other such input mechanisms, while a headless server machine will likely not include such a touch input device. It will be appreciated that the I/O components <b>1518</b> may include many other components that are not shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 15</figref>. The I/O components <b>1518</b> are grouped according to functionality merely for simplifying the following discussion and the grouping is in no way limiting. In various example embodiments, the I/O components <b>1518</b> may include output components <b>1526</b> and input components <b>1528</b>. The output components <b>1526</b> may include visual components (e.g., a display such as a plasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), acoustic components (e.g., speakers), haptic components (e.g., a vibratory motor, resistance mechanisms), other signal venerators, and so forth. The input components <b>1528</b> may include alphanumeric input components (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen configured to receive alphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or other alphanumeric input components), point based input components (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointing instrument), tactile input components (e.g., a physical button, a touch screen that provides location and/or force of touches or touch gestures, or other tactile input components), audio input components (e.g., a microphone), and the like.

0138In further example embodiments, the I/O components <b>1518</b> may include biometric components <b>1530</b>, motion components <b>1534</b>, environmental environment components <b>1536</b>, or position components <b>1538</b> among a wide array of other components. For example, the biometric components <b>1530</b> may, include components to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial expressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), measure biosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person (e.g., voice identification, retinal identification, facial identification, fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram based identification), and the like. The motion components <b>1534</b> may include acceleration sensor components (e.g., accelerometer), gravitation sensor components, rotation sensor components (e.g., gyroscope), and so forth. The environment components <b>1536</b> may include, for example, illumination sensor components (e.g., photometer), temperature sensor components (e.g., one or more thermometer that detect ambient temperature), humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g., barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphones that detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g., infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g., gas detection sensors to detection concentrations of hazardous gases for safety or to measure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other components that may provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding to a surrounding physical environment. The position components <b>1538</b> may include location sensor components (e.g., a Global Position system (GPS) receiver component), altitude sensor components (e.g., altimeters or barometers that detect air pressure from which altitude may be derived), orientation sensor components (e.g., magnetometers), and the like.

0139Communication may be implemented using a wide variety of technologies. The I/O components <b>1518</b> may include communication components <b>1540</b> operable to couple the machine <b>1500</b> to a network <b>1532</b> or devices <b>1520</b> via coupling <b>1522</b> and coupling <b>1524</b> respectively. For example, the communication components <b>1540</b> may include a network interface component or other suitable device to interface with the network <b>1532</b>. In further examples, communication components <b>1540</b> may include wired communication components, wireless communication components, cellular communication components. Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components to provide communication via other modalities. The devices <b>1520</b> may be another machine or any of a wide variety of peripheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a Universal Serial Bus (USB)).

0140Moreover, the communication components <b>1540</b> may detect identifiers or include components operable to detect identifiers. For example, the communication components <b>1540</b> may include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detection components, optical reader components (e.g., an optical sensor to detect one-dimensional bar codes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code, multi-dimensional bar codes such as Quick Response (QR) code, Aztec code, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code, UCC RSS-2D bar code, and other optical codes), or acoustic detection components (e.g., microphones to identify tagged audio signals). In addition, a variety of information may be derived via the communication components <b>1540</b>, such as, location via Internet Protocol (IP) geo-location, location via Wi-Fi® signal triangulation, location via detecting a. NFC beacon signal that may indicate a particular location, and so forth.

GLOSSARY

0141“CARRIER SIGNAL” in this context refers to any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of such instructions. Instructions may be transmitted or received over the network using a transmission medium via a network interface device and using any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols.

0142“CLIENT DEVICE” in this context refers to any machine that interfaces to a communications network to obtain resources from one or more server systems or other client devices. A client device may be, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, desktop computer, laptop, portable digital assistants (PDAs), smart phones, tablets, ultra books, netbooks, laptops, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, game consoles, set-top boxes, or any other communication device that a user may use to access a network.

0143“COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK” in this context refers to one or more portions of a network that may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), the Internet, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a plain old telephone service (POTS) network, a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a Wi-Fi® network, another type of network, or a combination of two or more such networks. For example, a network or a portion of a network may include a wireless or cellular network and the coupling may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) connection, a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) connection, or other type of cellular or wireless coupling. In this example, the coupling may implement any of a variety of types of data transfer technology, such as Single Carrier Radio Transmission Technology (1×RTT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV DO) technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology, third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) including 3G, fourth generation wireless (4G) networks, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, others defined by various standard setting organizations, other long range protocols, or other data transfer technology.

0144“EMPHEMERAL MESSAGE” in this context refers to a message that is accessible for a time-limited duration. An ephemeral message may be a text, an image, a video and the like. The access time for the ephemeral message may be set by the message sender. Alternatively, the access time may be a default setting or a setting specified by the recipient. Regardless of the setting technique, the message is transitory.

0145“MACHINE-READABLE MEDIUM” in this context refers to a component, device or other tangible media able to store instructions and data temporarily or permanently and may include, but is not be limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), buffer memory, flash memory, optical media, magnetic media, cache memory, other types of storage (e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and/or any suitable combination thereof. The term “machine-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, or associated caches and servers) able to store instructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium, or combination of multiple media, that is capable of storing instructions (e.g., code) for execution by a machine, such that the instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the machine, cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies described herein. Accordingly, a “machine-readable medium” refers to a single storage apparatus or device, as well as “cloud-based” storage systems or storage networks that include multiple storage apparatus or devices. The term “machine-readable medium” excludes signals per se.

0146“COMPONENT” in this context refers to a device, physical entity or logic having boundaries defined by function or subroutine calls, branch points, application program interfaces (APIs), or other technologies that provide for the partitioning or modularization of particular processing or control functions. Components may be combined via their interfaces with other components to carry out a machine process. A component may be a packaged functional hardware unit designed for use with other components and a part of a program that usually performs a particular function of related functions. Components may constitute either software components (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium) or hardware components. A “hardware component” is a tangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain physical manner. In various example embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone computer system, a client computer system, or a server computer system) or one or more hardware components of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) as a hardware component that operates to perform certain operations as described herein. A hardware component may also be implemented mechanically, electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, a hardware component may include dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured to perform certain operations. A hardware component may be a special-purpose processor, such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). A hardware component may also include programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. For example, a hardware component may include software executed by a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor. Once configured by such software, hardware components become specific machines (or specific components of a machine) uniquely tailored to perform the configured functions and are no longer general-purpose processors. It will be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware component mechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations. Accordingly, the phrase “hardware component” (or “hardware-implemented component”) should be understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or to perform certain operations described herein. Considering embodiments in which hardware components are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of the hardware components need not be configured or instantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where a hardware component comprises a general-purpose processor configured by software to become a special-purpose processor, the general-purpose processor may be configured as respectively different special-purpose processors (e.g., comprising different hardware components) at different times. Software accordingly configures a particular processor or processors, for example, to constitute a particular hardware component at one instance of time and to constitute a different hardware component at a different instance of time. Hardware components can provide information to, and receive information from, other hardware components. Accordingly, the described hardware components may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multiple hardware components exist contemporaneously, communications may be achieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) between or among two or more of the hardware components. In embodiments in which multiple hardware components are configured or instantiated at different times, communications between such hardware components may be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiple hardware components have access. For example, one hardware component may perform an operation and store the output of that operation in a memory device to which it is communicatively coupled. A further hardware component may then, at a later time, access the memory device to retrieve and process the stored output. Hardware components may also initiate communications with input or output devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection of information). The various operations of example methods described herein may be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanently configured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented components that operate to perform one or more operations or functions described herein. As used herein, “processor-implemented component” refers to a hardware component implemented using one or more processors. Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partially processor-implemented, with a particular processor or processors being an example of hardware. For example, at least some of the operations of a method may be performed by one or more processors or processor-implemented components. Moreover, the one or more processors may also operate to support performance of the relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples of machines including processors), with these operations being accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an Application Program Interface (API)). The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed among the processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments, the processors or processor-implemented components may be located in a single geographic location (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other example embodiments, the processors or processor-implemented components may be distributed across a number of geographic locations.

0147“PROCESSOR” in this context refers to any circuit or virtual circuit (a physical circuit emulated by logic executing on an actual processor) that manipulates data values according to control signals (e.g., “commands”, “op codes”, “machine code”, etc.) and which produces corresponding output signals that are applied to operate a machine. A processor may, for example, be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processor, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Radio-Frequency integrated Circuit (RFIC) or any combination thereof. A processor may further be a multi-core processor having two or more independent processors (sometimes referred to as “cores”) that may execute instructions contemporaneously.

0148“TIMESTAMP” in this context refers to a sequence of characters or encoded information identifying when a certain event occurred, for example giving date and time of day, sometimes accurate to a small fraction of a second.